Fire Blotter, July 25

Total Calls this period: 85

EMS/Rescue: 68

Fire/Hazardous Conditions: 3

Service/Good Intent/False: 14

On July 15, paramedics were dispatched priority to a respiratory arrest. The crew arrived to find an 81-year-old male in full arrest. His wife stated that the patient has been battling cancer and had a "Do Not Resuscitate" order. Death was confirmed by the crew, and the patient was released to the funeral home.

On July 15, FireComm Dispatched crews to a house fire. The reporting party said there were flames coming from the roof and that there was a car in the driveway, but nobody answered when he knocked on the door. When crews arrived they looked through the windows and could see that the house was empty, and there were construction tools inside. The fire was confined to the attic space. Several crews from three different stations worked together to extinguish the fire. The Fire Marshal’s investigation revealed an electrical problem with wiring in the wall of a nook off the kitchen. 

On July 16, paramedics were dispatched to a woman who had fallen. The crew arrived to find a 72-year-old female lying on the floor next to her bed. She said she was in the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee, and she bent over to clean up a spill. When she fell, she hit her head and left arm. She then took 25 minutes to crawl to the bedroom phone to call 911. She complained of neck and back pain but said that she did not lose consciousness. Medics also noted that she had a cast on her wrist. Medics took special precautions to protect her head, neck and spine and treated and transported her to the hospital.

On July 17, firefighters were dispatched to a man fallen. They arrived to find a 56-year-old male who had fallen off of his motorized wheelchair (scooter). He said he was driving up the hill on his scooter when it tipped over backward, and the steering wheel hit him in the face causing a laceration above his eye. Medics cleaned and bandaged the wound and transported him to the hospital for further evaluation and stitches.

On July 18, paramedics were dispatched to an 81-year-old female with shortness of breath. According to family members, she was having some difficulty breathing the evening prior. When Medics arrived they found the woman in obvious distress, she could only speak in one or two word sentences. She also complained that she had been coughing a lot lately. Paramedics treated and transported her to the hospital. Due to patient care and treatment, she was showing marked improvement and speaking in full sentences by the time they arrived at the hospital. 

On July 19, paramedics were dispatched to a 10-year-old male who had fallen at the skateboard park. The crew arrived to find the boy lying on a ramp at the park. He had a broken arm, but he was wearing a helmet which protected him from a serious head injury. He said his board swerved under him causing him to fall.  The medic splinted the break, treated and transported him to the hospital. Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has multi-sport helmets available for $10. Visit its website for more information at www.piercefire.org 

On July 20, paramedics were dispatched to a 36-year-old woman fallen. The patient was found lying on the ground outside her residence. She said that she had back surgery twice and has had pain in her right leg off and on for the last month. On this day, she was walking outside and her right leg suddenly gave out and she fell, landing on her right knee and hitting her head. Medics treated and transported her to the hospital for further evaluation.

On July 21, paramedics were dispatched to a 56-year-old female who crashed her bicycle. Bystanders called 911 after they found the woman lying in the street unconscious and bleeding from the head. When the crew arrived, she had regained consciousness and told the medic that she hit a speed bump and lost control of her bike. She was unable to move her extremities or get off the ground. Unfortunately, she was not wearing a helmet. The crew took special precautions to protect her head and spine and treated and transported to a trauma team at a Tacoma hospital. Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has bike helmets available for $7.

On July 21, paramedics were dispatched to a headache. Due to numerous alarms being simultaneously dispatched, the engine crew at Station 52 put the engine out of service and responded to the call with a back up medic unit. On arrival the crew found a stable 14-year-old female with a migraine headache accompanied by nausea and dry heaves. She had been non-responsive to normal treatment. She had also received treatment two days ago for the same. The physician ordered the patient transferred to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital to find the underlying cause of the migraines. Medics treated and transported her to the children’s hospital.